In Kingsport, a quiet collection of farm buildings tells a surprisingly busy story about travel, trade, and everyday life in nineteenth-century Northeast Tennessee.

Exchange Place Living History Farm once stood along the Great Stage Road, where travelers could change horses, trade goods and exchange currency.

The property also served as a post office for the Eden’s Ridge community.

How Exchange Place got its name

John Strother Gaines and his wife, Letitia, developed the farm in the early nineteenth century.

Gaines operated a stagecoach stop and store, and the property became a meeting point for travelers moving through the region.

Many exchanges happened here, but the site’s historical account suggests that changing Virginia and Tennessee currency may have been especially important to its name.

The farm also has a more difficult history: wealthy owners John Gaines and the later Preston family relied on enslaved labor.

Understanding that reality is essential to telling the complete story of the property and the people who lived and worked there.

History you can see

Today, Exchange Place interprets farm life in the decades before the Civil War.

The site includes restored and reconstructed buildings, heirloom gardens, and heritage livestock and poultry.

During special events, interpreters demonstrate traditional skills such as cooking over an open hearth, blacksmithing, spinning and weaving.

The preserved setting offers a different kind of history lesson: one where a farm’s daily chores, businesses and labor are as important as its buildings.

An upcoming chance to visit

Exchange Place is scheduled to host an Open Doors! event Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is expected to include living-history demonstrations and activities, with admission listed at $5 for ages 12 and older.

Because the site ordinarily opens to the public for festivals and special events, visitors should not assume it offers daily walk-in tours.

Tours can be arranged by appointment, and visitors should confirm event details and any weather-related changes with organizers before traveling.

Exchange Place is at 4812 Orebank Road in Kingsport.

The farm reminds us that the familiar roads we travel today were once part of a network of people, trade, work and stories that helped shape this region.